Black Oxide sockets?

[T56 Impala]

Does anyone know if there is a USA manufacturer that makes SAE socket sets in Black Oxide? I'm not talking impacts, just standard sockets. I have found one set of Wright Metric standard sockets in BO but only the metric.

Thinking about it, other than cost, is there even a reason to have both standard AND impact sockets in your box? I know the impacts have ticker walls and COULD pose a clearance issue, but I have never run into a situation like that.

 

[krusty the clown]

i only have 1/2 drive impact sockets in my work box and rarely have i had a clearance issue. other than impact swivels i only have 3/8 chrome sockets in my work box, and i have never considered buying impacts, so i guess the answer is i have no need for both.


i just did some looking and both armstrong and wright make thin walled sockets in black oxide finnish.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

I believe cornwell does as well, there are times that a impact will not fit where a standard socket will even in 1/2" drive but those times are infrequent so If I had to pick a set to start out with I would go with impacts assuming you do intend to use airtools.

 

[T56 Impala]

Krusty,

I saw on the Wright web site that they make Metric in BO but not SAE. Can you link me to what you found? I'll take a look at Armstrong too.

Deisel Mech,

Maximum Overdrive huh? Anyone else guess that yet?

I'll take a look at Cornwell also. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[jerk_chicken]

Yeah, I work on mountain bike suspensions, where the forks run 1200+ and have shallow top caps and bottom caps holding the parts on and the crowns and lowers have very little clearance. They like to put shoulders around a shallow 32mm top cap, for instance, requiring a socket to be thin-wall and even ground to the right thinness, then even with the taper over the hex removed to a flat.

Several times changing turbos or exhaust manifold bolts, there was practically no room to get a thickwall socket in there, and thinwall was the only way.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

Deisel Mech,

Maximum Overdrive huh? Anyone else guess that yet?

I'll take a look at Cornwell also. Thanks for the heads up!

You are the first to get it as far as I know.

 

[T56 Impala]

As bad as it was, it is still one of my favorite movies!

 

[krusty the clown]

armstrong..........
http://www.armstrongtools.com/index.jsp


and it looks like wright does not make a thin wall industrial finish socket in metric........

 

[paramudduck]

Do you mean like these? http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...=11527&supersede=&store=snapon-store&tool=all

About any of the USA companies that do industrial should have them.

 

[autoace]

Snap-on is your best bet for non-impact, black oxide socket selection!

 

[GearJammer]

That movie sent more GMC cabovers to their demise than any other. That damn toy truck gave me nightmares as a kid.

 

[T56 Impala]

Wright does offer them! They are on page 183 and 184 of the PDF catalogue. I still don't see them in sets, but I'm still looking.

 

[T56 Impala]

Thanks for the links guys. The Armstrong looks promising.

As for SO, well.... I don't do SO. I don't like their tools. Personal preference. They are good tools, I just don't like them. I'll keep special ones but I usually trade off or sell the ones I dig up.

 

[paramudduck]

No problem, only reason I listed the SO is I happened to be on the site looking for something else.

Most of my Black oxides are old Proto and Cornwell.

Edit: I usually find them faster using Industrial finish as
the search term.

 

[-B-]

Yeah, I work on mountain bike suspensions, where the forks run 1200+ and have shallow top caps and bottom caps holding the parts on and the crowns and lowers have very little clearance. They like to put shoulders around a shallow 32mm top cap, for instance, requiring a socket to be thin-wall and even ground to the right thinness, then even with the taper over the hex removed to a flat.

Several times changing turbos or exhaust manifold bolts, there was practically no room to get a thickwall socket in there, and thinwall was the only way.

They are done that way so that you either have to be trained and sold the tools, or force you to send the fork in for replacement.

Usually a quick chuck in the lathe and a bit of grinding to get a square surface doe the trick.

 

[wrenchr]

Snap on use to make them, I had a sae set.

 

[lauver]

Does anyone know if there is a USA manufacturer that makes SAE socket sets in Black Oxide? I'm not talking impacts, just standard sockets. I have found one set of Wright Metric standard sockets in BO but only the metric.

Thinking about it, other than cost, is there even a reason to have both standard AND impact sockets in your box? I know the impacts have ticker walls and COULD pose a clearance issue, but I have never run into a situation like that.

T56,

Last week I saw some Cobalt black oxide SAE standard sockets in a small tool set at Lowe's. Pretty sure they were made by Danaher or one of it's divisions. I don't remember if they were stamped USA. But might be worth look-see.

Now, your second question--do you need impacts and chromies? I don't; I have thinwall impact sockets only in 1/2" drive. I use them with my impact wrench and hand ratchets. Other than spark plug sockets, I've never needed chromies. Think about how much more room you would have in your tools box if you didn't have both chromies and impacts.

That said, I have both cromies and impacts in 3/8" drive but seldom, if ever, use the impacts. I just don't have the need for impacts in this drive size.

In 1/4" drive, I have only chromies. I've never needed impact sockets in this drive size. And, I don't have an 1/4" impact wrench, just a compact impact ratchet for running fastners on and off.

All of my sockets and drive bits (1/4-1/2") fit nicely in the top bin of a 26" x 18" tool chest.